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Ellis Park in Kentucky Announces Purse Increase

The purse increases are not noted in the current condition book, which runs through Aug. 15, and will boost Ellis Park's average daily purse monies to a record $219,850 on days when the racetrack runs 10 or more races. The purse increases, which take effect immediately, include monies from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

On Aug. 1, Ellis Park raised its overnight purses by five percent.

``We are pleased to offer this additional incentive to our horsemen, who have contributed significantly to our success,'' said Kuerzi. ``We used very conservative estimates when structuring the purse monies allocated to races scheduled during the first weeks of our 2001 meet, and earlier this month, we were able to raise purses by five percent. This 9-percent increase comes as the result of strong on-track attendance and wagering on some of our key weekend dates, including last weekend's Gardenia Stakes (Grade III).

``Additionally, Ellis Park horsemen have been very supportive of our racing program and have helped us to offer large fields, averaging more than nine starters per race. Our full fields are attractive to the betting public and have increased the popularity of Ellis Park's simulcast signal, which has also benefited from its affiliation with the Churchill Down Simulcast Network.''

Ellis Park, located in Henderson, Ky., offers Thoroughbred racing and wholecard simulcasting and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN). In 2001, Ellis Park, home of the Grade III Gardenia Stakes, will conduct its live race meet from July 14 through Sept. 3. Information about can be found on the Ellis Park website.

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